The Velvet Goldmine stars now – co-star fling, surprise pop career and £99m net worth

Rock star David Bowie has inspired countless works of art throughout the years – including 1998 film The Velvet Goldmine.

Taking its title from a Bowie song of the same name, the film followed journalist Arthur Stuart as he aimed to uncover what had happened to glam rock star Brian Slade, after the musician faked his death on stage.

Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale, Toni Collette, Eddie Izzard and Ewan McGregor, the Hollywood film has since become a cult classic for audiences across the world.

READ MORE: Where the cast of Labyrinth are now – Hollywood, tragic deaths and famous husband

On what would have been David Bowie’s 75th birthday, The Daily Star takes a look at where the cast of The Velvet Goldmine are now.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Brian Slade)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers landed one of his first leading roles when he played the role of glam rock hero Brian Slade in The Velvet Goldmine.

From there, the talented star became a huge name after appearing in drama series Gormanghast, as well as films delighting fans in the footballing comedy hit Bend It Like Beckham.

From there Jonathan also landed leading roles as King Henry VIII in drama series Tudors, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, as well as playing Bishop Heahmund in Vikings and Dracula in the 2014 mini series.

He has also starred in films including From Paris With Love alongside John Travolta, and The Mortal Instruments opposite Lily Collins, as well as following in Keira Knightley’s footsteps and landing himself modelling campaigns with fashion brands including Hugo Boss.

Jonathan is also listed as appearing in a number of films currently in pre-production.

However in his personal life, Jonathan has been reported to have battled alcohol addiction, and spoke openly about going into rehab during an interview with Daily Mail, saying: “I’ve been to a lot of rehab centres in my life… I went to three in one year and I talked to my therapist.

“I would be known as somebody who relapses with problem drinking, not alcoholism. I don’t suffer from alcoholism – I suffer from an allergy to alcohol every time I drink it. But once I stop, I never think about it again.

“That doesn’t mean that the problem is any less, it just means I have a different version of it. But when I drink, the consequences are so devastating that it is a problem. But I never need a drink. It’s not something that I crave.”

Away from our screens, Jonathan has also been married to actor and producer Mara Lane since 2016, with whom he has one son called Wolf.

Christian Bale (Arthur Stuart)

Christian Bale was already a huge star by the time he took on the role of journalist Arthur Stuart in The Velvet Goldmine.

After landing his first acting role at the age of 13 in Stephen Spielberg’s Empire Of The Sun, he appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V, Disney musical Newsies, lent his voice to animated film Pocahontas and played Laurie in 1994’s Little Women, opposite Winona Ryder.

From there he has not left our screens, playing Bruce Wayne in the blockbuster Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, appearing in The Machinist, Thor: Love and Thunder and most recently, Amsterdam.

It is no surprise that with such a stellar career, Christian is worth an eye-watering $120m (£99.4m) according to Celebrity Net Worth.

However, the star did make a candid admission during an interview with GQ Magazine, where he claimed that he “owed his career” to Leonardo Di Caprio turning down certain roles.

The comments came after it was mentioned that Leo was originally cast as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, before stepping away from the film, with Christian later taking on the lead role.

However, Christian revealed that Leo had pipped him to five other film roles in that era, including Titanic’s Jack Dawson.

Christian said: “To this day, any role that anybody gets, it’s only because he’s passed on it beforehand.”

He added: “I suspect that almost everybody of a similar age to him in Hollywood owes their careers to him passing on whatever project it is.”

Away from the limelight, Christian has been married to wife and former model Sandra “Sibi” Blazic since 2000, with who he has two children.

People Magazine reported that the couple met when Sandra was working as Winona Ryder’s assistant on the set of Little Women, with the two later eloping in Las Vegas six years later.

That’s not all, as the couple later worked together again as Sandra is a talented stunt driver, who appeared in The Dark Knight Rises.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Christian said: “My wife was a stunt driver, she was chasing me through the city in Batman.

“She was driving one of the cop cars. She can do 180s and stunts and all that.”

He also gushed about his family to Esquire Magazine, saying: “I’ve got incredible pride for my family.

“I’ve absolutely fallen into that cliché of a dad who could just happily talk about my daughter endlessly, but it’s not what I’m about in terms of being an actor. I don’t want people to know about that.”

Ewan McGregor (Curt Wild)

Ewan McGregor OBE played fellow rock star Curt Wild in The Velvet Goldmine – just a few years after rising to fame in the hit film Trainspotting.

From there, Ewan has become one of the biggest stars of stage and screen, delighting in Moulin Rouge, Beauty and The Beast, Star Wars, The Island and Doctor Sleep – to name a few.

He also delighted fans after reprising his role as Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the Star Wars Disney series of the same name.

Ewan has also indulged in his passion for motorcycling by appearing in the TV series Long Way Round and Long Way Down.

He is also involved in charity work, and is an ambassador for UNICEF.

Away from our screens, Ewan is married to actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has starred in NBC soap Passions and films such as Scott Pilgrim Vs The World.

The couple met on the set of TV series Fargo and began dating in 2017, before marrying five years later in 2022.

Ewan was previously married to production designer Eve Mavrakis from 1995 until the pair separated in 2017.

Their divorce was finalised in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences.

Ewan is not the only famous star in his family however, as daughter Clara has also followed in her dad’s footsteps an actor.

The star has four daughters from his first marriage – Clara, Jamyan, Esther and Anouk.

Clara, 25, is a photographer, actor and producer who co-produced the film Birthday Cake, starring her father, as well as modelling for Playboy magazine in 2018.

Daughter Esther also works as a model, and regularly posts stylish snaps of her posing for various fashion brands. She also made an appearance in Disney series Obi-Wan-Kenobi opposite her dad in the titular role.

Clara also revealed the news that Ewan and Mary had welcomed a baby boy named Laurie in June 2021, by sharing a sweet snap of her holding her little brother on social media, saying: “Congratulations to my dad and Mary – this is the greatest gift.”

The new arrival was kept closely under wraps, with the pair never announcing Mary’s pregnancy publicly.

Daughter Esther also posted a sweet photo of her meeting the tot with the heartwarming caption: “Welcome to the family little Laurie.”

Toni Collette (Mandy Slade)

Hot off the heels of her critically acclaimed success in Muriel’s Wedding, Toni Collette played Brian Slade’s wife Mandy in The Velvet Goldmine.

Away from the screens, it is also reported by The Belfast Telegraph that Toni and Jonathan’s romance spilled into real life, with the two stars dating for one year in 1998.

Just one year after The Velvet Goldmine was released, Toni hit worldwide fame with her role in The Sixth Sense, for which she was nominated for The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

From there, Toni has delighted fans with her roles in films including Little Miss Sunshine, Krampus, Hereditary, Nightmare Alley and Knives Out.

As well as performing on Broadway, Toni has also led a successful music career.

In 2006, she formed Toni Collette and The Finish, with the band releasing their debut album Beautiful Awkward Pictures in the same year, and performing at Live Earth in 2007.

Toni was also married to the musician Dave Galafassi for more than 14 years between 2008 to 2022, with who she has two children called Sage and Arlo.

However, the couple announced their divorce earlier this year, with Toni saying in a statement on Instagram: “

“It is with grace and gratitude that we announce we are divorcing.

“We’re united in our decision and part with continuing respect and care for each other.”

The statement continued: “Our kids are of paramount importance to us and we will continue to thrive as a family, albeit a different shape. We’re thankful for the space and love you grant us as we evolve and move through this transition peacefully. Big thanks.”

Eddie Izzard (Jerry Divine)

Comedy legend Eddie Izzard landed one of her first acting roles, when she played Manager Jerry Devine in The Velvet Goldmine.

Hiowever, although Eddie Izzard has become one of the world’s most popular comedians and actors, her career path could have been very different.

Eddie studied A-Level sciences and went on to study accounting at University, but it was not long before her talent for performance inspired her to pursue her dream, and inspired by comedy legends such as the Monty Python team, Eddie left university a year later to pursue a career as a street performer.

The star has since made a huge impact on Hollywood, as well as on the comedy circuit, appearing in hit blockbuster films including My Super Ex Girlfriend, Five Children and IT, Velvet Goldmine, The Chronicles of Narnia series, Six Minutes to Midnight and TV series Hannibal.

She most recently appeared in the 2022 Netflix series Stay Close.

During an episode of Sky Arts programme Portrait Artist Of The Year, Eddie confirmed that her preferred pronouns were she and her.

The star, who identifies as transgender, revealed in an interview with The Guardian that she first identified as transgender when she was four years old, and that she came out as transgender at the age of 23.

However, she also revealed that after coming out as transgender, she was was told to hide her identity, saying to The Hollywood Reporter: “If you are coming out as transgender or gay or lesbian, it’s such a tough rite of passage and quest.

“It assaults your senses because, back in ‘85, everyone said, ‘No, no. Hide about it.’ I just thought they were all wrong.”

Speaking about her career, she added: “I have boy mode and girl mode. I do feel I have boy genetics and girl genetics. I have played one transgender character.

“I will play hopefully more transgender roles in the future, but there are a lot of boy genetics in me so I am happy to play boy roles.

“It would be great if more transgender actors can play more transgender characters.”

She added: “We have come a long way, so let’s keep forging our way forward.”

Eddie is also passionate about politics and revealed in 2020 that she aims to be elected as a Labour MP in the next general election, saying that her “worldview is that everyone should have a fair chance in life”.

Eddie also made headlines around the world when she completed a series of epic marathons for charity.

In 2009, the star ran the length of the UK and clocked up 30 miles a day, running from London to Cardiff to Belfast to Edinburgh and back to London.

In total the challenge was 1,100 miles, which is the equivalent of competing in 43 marathons in just one event.

Away from the limelight, the star also tends to keep her personal life private.

The comedian and actor has not revealed since if she is single or if she is in a relationship.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk